Cole ‘n’ Keef is bringing the duet back. The brainchild of singer/percussionist Cole Williams (Pimps of Joytime, Joey Badass, Aloe Blacc) and singer/pianist Keith Burnstein (The Mumbles, Nick Waterhouse, The Headhunters), this New Orleans based super-duo is hell-bent on putting a song across. Using piano, drums, and their distinctive blend of male female vocal harmony, the band is defined by the craftsmanship of a soulful new American songbook, one they are writing one jam at a time.

Like many great stories, Cole and Keef’s is a coming of age tale—years in the making. Currently based in the Crescent City, the band has deep roots in Brooklyn NY, where Burnstein and Williams came up in the late aughts, collaborating with members of Antibalas, the Dap Kings, and Pimps of Joytime. While those BK salad days defined Cole and Keef as artists, it took the magic and synchronicity of New Orleans to bring them together. In late 2014, Williams decided to move to New Orleans and needed a room. A mutual friend introduced her to Keith, and what started as a convenient roommate situation quickly evolved into inspired morning meetings at the piano to drink coffee and work on songs that would become Cole ‘n’ Keef classics.

The rest, as they say, is history… but to the tunesmith, history is always being written. To that end, Cole and Keef shed their old projects and began to create their own myth. Instead of booking shows on the large stages they were accustomed to, they consciously chose to start small. Their first gigs were at the Goorin Bros hat shop on Royal St in New Orleans. It was at Goorin that they began performing all original sets with the m.o. of bringing the male/female duet back. As this goes to press, the duo now has a full set of songs that is both studio and road-ready. Currently, they are hard at work recording their new album, Truette, slated for release in December 2015. They are also booking a national tour for the fall, so make sure to check the sites and mark your calendars—Cole n Keef are comin’ atcha!